Tougher Than The Rest
by HouseLover
Summary: She could practically feel the electricity shooting between them. She fought to pull her eyes away, but it was too difficult. “Move out of my way, House,” she said with as much power as she could.
1. ONE

**ONE**

Wilson watched silently from his side of the cafeteria booth as his friend leaned his head to one side and spied on one particular table in the far corner of the cafeteria.

"Who is that?" House asked curiously, pointing to the corner with a fry before popping it in his mouth, his eyes never leaving the table for a moment. Wilson turned his head briefly to get a look at the person in question and then looked back at House.

"That's Cuddy," he replied frankly, just to piss his friend off. The glare he received from his friend when he finally took his eyes off the table for a quick second told him that he wasn't in the mood for jokes. "He's the new big donor prospect for the oncology department, I think. Cuddy told me something about him yesterday. Apparently he's got millions."

House's eyes flew back to the table as he watched the two of them. The man was good-looking and clearly loaded. His hair was gelled back perfectly and his Armani clothing was crisply ironed and made him look very professional. House swallowed another fry as he watched Cuddy throw her head back in laughter, the man watching her with a perfect, white smile. The man leaned forward, with his elbows on the table; a move that House had mastered many years ago to get a better view down her low-cut blouses. House wasn't the only one that had seen the subtle move, he noted as Cuddy gave a nervous cough and used both hands to cover her mouth, her forearms covering her chest as well as she could. She said something to the man that House couldn't understand from where he was sitting and then got up and started heading his way. House suddenly shifted back into the centre of his booth and Wilson gave a laugh as House's eyes suddenly returned to his food.

Cuddy walked away from the table as quickly as she could, without looking like she was running away from him. He was a very pleasant man, and clearly very interested in donating to the hospital, there was just something about his good looks and personality that made her uncomfortable. The way that his eyes often fell down to her breasts made her very uneasy. It was a subtle move that she had become used to over the many years of knowing House, but it never made her uncomfortable when he did it. There was just something about this donor that made her feel awkward. She kept walking quickly, her eyes on the exit, when all of a sudden something long, hard, and thin stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked down at it and pushed the cane back into House with a force that he wasn't expecting.

"Whoa, someone is in a hurry to get somewhere," he said jokingly, noticing the distraught look on her usually pulled-together face. "That's funny though. Because usually you're in a hurry to get to a meeting, and I'm pretty sure the donor that you're meeting with is already in this room. Is he your next potential sperm donor?"

Cuddy just glared at him from under her dark eyelashes. "Maybe he will be. But for now, he's just the next donor for the oncology department. He seems very interested in helping out the children in the department."

"He seems more interested in getting into your pants," House muttered under his breath, tossing another fry in his mouth. Cuddy just gave him a look of loathing and stormed out of the cafeteria. House gave a shrug, grabbed a few more fries from Wilsons' plate and followed her. Wilson just rolled his eyes as he watched his friend limp out of the cafeteria.


	2. TWO

**TWO**

As soon as Cuddy got out of the cafeteria, she practically ran to the ladies' room. She leaned against the counter, careful not to get her skirt wet, and gave a sigh as she looked up at herself in the mirror. It felt good to finally get away from Toms' wandering eyes and all-too-perfect smile and it felt even better to get away from House's scrutinizing. She brushed a hand through her dark, curly hair and was almost ready to head back to her table, when House came barging into the room.

"What are you doing!?" She shouted at him in disbelief.

"I was curious to find out more about this man's contributions to the oncology department," he said innocently.

"This is the _ladies'_ room. You can't be in here, House. Get out now!"

"Pfft. Like you haven't been in the men's room before," he countered with a sly look. "Besides, there's no one else in here, so it doesn't really matter."

Cuddy just gave a sigh in frustration and started heading out of the bathroom, but somehow House blocked her before she could move, trapping her between the counter, himself, and his cane. He lifted the corner of his mouth up ever so slightly, in an almost-smirk, waiting for her to push him away.

"What do you want, House?" She asked, frustrated.

"I want to know why he's interested in donating money to help sick kids with cancer, when clearly he could just go buy more expensive suits and even more expensive teeth."

"Because some people actually have a decent sense of humanity and enjoy helping others."

"Or because he's hoping to have sex with the Dean of Medicine in exchange for it," he said bluntly. She stared at him in disbelief and gave a laugh.

"You're unbelievable," she said, moving away from him.

"But you know it's true. Because if you didn't think that for yourself, you wouldn't have come rushing to the bathroom when you clearly didn't have to go," he said, noting the look on her face that told him he had nailed her thoughts entirely. "So? Is he going to be the sperm donor you've been looking for?"

"Maybe he is," she said casually. "He's good-looking, he's rich, he clearly loves children, and he happens to like me."

"He happens to like _your breasts_," House shot back. "You're not actually thinking about having sex with this guy are you?"

"That is none of your business, House. But I don't want to keep him waiting, so I'm going back now." She started heading for the door and somehow House stopped her again. He stood so close and towered over her so that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes with her glare. He challenged her with his own stare, raising an eyebrow. Cuddy felt her heart begin to race, sure that it was because of the fury she was feeling towards him at this moment. She could practically feel the electricity shoot between them, as if there was some sort of invisible electric current connecting their eyes. She fought to pull her eyes away, but it was too difficult. "Move out of my way, House," she said, her voice strong and adamant, despite her nervousness.

House just stared down at her with his icy blue eyes, daring her to move away. But she didn't. And neither did he. The moment seemed to last forever, like a staring contest between two stubborn children. Neither of them looked away until the door suddenly opened and an elderly woman walked him. She gave a small shriek as she noticed the man in the ladies room.

Cuddy's cheeks had become quite red and her breathing had grown a little faster, so she marched out of the washroom, pushing him out of her way, nearly knocking him over. House put his hand on the counter to stop himself from tumbling over. He let out a breath that he didn't even know he had been holding and gave a small laugh as he heard the door slam behind her. He looked up to see the elderly woman staring at him in disbelief.

"Damn. You discovered my hidden secret. Now everyone's going to know that I'm really a woman" he said sarcastically, before heading back out to the cafeteria.


	3. THREE

**THREE**

Cuddy made her way back to her table, trying to regain her composure as she walked. She shook her head, trying to get the image of Houses' deep, blue eyes out of her mind. They still stared at her with an intensity she couldn't describe; an intensity that made her heart race and her breathing shallow. She always told herself that it was because of the anger he caused her whenever they argued, but sometimes when he stands much too close to her, she thinks it might be something else. But then again, that something else could always just be those crazy hormones, she was never really sure.

She finally reached her table and gave the man she was with a sincere smile. "I'm sorry I took so long, a fellow of mine needed a quick consult on a patient," she lied.

"Not a problem," he answered politely, flashing his white smile in a way that every other woman would find extremely charming. "Are you sure you're alright? You seem a little distressed."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, reassuring herself as much as him. He eyed her suspiciously and reached out his hand to touch her forearm.

"We could always meet up another time, if you're too busy here. How about over some drinks sometime this week?" he asked in a voice that suggested a lot more than just discussing money business. She tensed as she felt his knee brush against her thigh, and noticing her discomfort, he moved his hand from her arm and placed it back on his coffee. "I'm very sorry, Dr. Cuddy. I didn't mean to-"

"That sounds like a good idea," Cuddy interrupted, not quite sure what she was getting herself into. Sure, he was handsome, rich, and probably every girl's dream, but the idea of having drinks with him was not an idea she was looking forward to. The priceless look on Houses' face when he finds out about her new plans, however, she was really looking forward to. "And please, call me Lisa," she added.

"Ethan," he offered pleasantly. He stood up and stuck his hand out, which she accepted appreciatively. She had to admit; he was a very nice and pleasant man. "I'll give you a call soon and we can plan a time to go over the rest of the details. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lisa."

"You too, Ethan, I look forward to hearing from you," she replied with a smile; it was impossible to not be friendly towards such a charming, polite man, even if he was a little unnerving. She picked up her coffee cup and her briefcase and headed back towards her office, already dreading the paper work she had planned to catch up on today.

She finally reached her office and pushed open the door with the back of her shoulder, not having any hands free to push it open. When she spun around after the door closed, she almost spilled her coffee as she jumped back in shock.

"You better have a good reason for being in here," she muttered in an angry voice, setting her briefcase down rather violently on a chair in front of her desk.

"Wilson's looking for me," he replied, lifting his bad leg up and placing it on top of her desk, making himself comfortable.

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, how about you go down to the clinic like you were supposed to? If you're trying to avoid Wilson, it's probably one of the last places he would look."

"Nah, clinic patients are annoying _and_ boring." He pulled his psp out of his pocket and leaned back in her chair. "Plus, I have to make sure Mr. Perfect-Hair-and-Fake-White-Teeth doesn't come up here and jump you while you're trying to do important, hospital work," he added quickly, his eyes still focused on the game in his hands.

"_Ethan_ has already left," she snapped back, grabbing the game out of his hands. "So I guess you better get down to the clinic so Wilson doesn't find you."

"I can't."

"Why can't you now?"

"I have to go check on my patient," he said, grabbing his cane and standing up. Her sudden closeness surprised him, but he didn't feel any need to move away from her either. He didn't look at her though, remembering the moment they shared in the bathroom not too long ago when he simply couldn't force himself to look away. If that lady hadn't walked in, he wasn't sure what he would have done.

"Your patient came out of surgery hours and ago and has been stable since," she said, finding it hard not to laugh at his feeble attempts to get out of clinic duty. "Nice try."

"So why did you send _Ethan_ away so soon?" he asked, sounding his name out with disgust and finally looking up at her so she couldn't get away with lying. "Were his teeth starting to hurt your eyes?"

"Very funny, House. But I'll have you know it's because we're meeting at another time. I just have too much work to do today. What's your problem with him anyway?"

"I don't have a problem with him," House shrugged casually. "Actually I admire him. His obvious attempts to get you in his bed are really quite impressive. He's going to be quite disappointed when he finds out you're not as easy as your low cut tops and do-me pumps make you look."

"Maybe he won't have any reason to be disappointed," she replied, meeting his stare and refusing to let him see through her this time.


	4. FOUR

**FOUR**

"Maybe he won't have any reason to be disappointed."

House's mouth just fell open as she said that last sentence. He couldn't believe it; that guy was one of the fakest pieces of crap he has ever seen. She had to be kidding. He couldn't even think of a nasty comeback before she had turned on her heels and walked away. He sat back down behind her desk and began spinning his cane around in his hands. He did this for about ten minutes, before boredom got the best of him and he decided to go see Wilson.

Wilson heard a loud bang as his door crashed open. He didn't even look up; it had become a daily happening, so it never fazed him anymore. "What do you want, House?" he asked as he continued his paperwork.

"I'm bored," he stated simply, like an eight year old looking for something to do.

"Go do your clinic hours."

"Geez, man. When did Cuddy train you to start saying that?" House asked as he took a seat across from Wilson. Wilson just rolled his eyes and set down his pen, clearly annoyed.

"I'm sort of busy right now," Wilson replied. "Where's your team? Why don't you go annoy them?"

"Cameron's doing my paperwork, Foreman's doing my clinic hours, and Chase is just no fun to bug anymore. He gets so cranky, it's like PMS or something."

"Right," replied Wilson, making a not so subtle show of getting back to his paperwork. House was silent for a few minutes, except for the tapping of his fingers on the table, while he thought about Cuddy and this _Ethan_ character.

"So... You're getting some more money for your dying patients, I hear."

"Is that why you're here? You want the details on this new donor?"

"I was just trying to make conversation," he replied innocently. "The silence was getting pretty awkward."

"Right. So instead of bringing up something like The L Word or monster trucks or my failed marriages, you decide to talk about a donation to the cancer department," he replied with a laugh. "You really do have some humanity in you, after all."

House made a face at Wilson's last sentence and Wilson just laughed.

"You have a problem, House."

"Yeah, it's called a bum leg."

"You know what I'm talking about."

"The pills?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Cuddy."

"Not this again," House said with a laugh, rolling his eyes. "_You_ have a problem."

"Yeah. You."

"Oh snap," he replied, pointing his cane at Wilson. "Well I better go find someone else to annoy, because annoying you just lost all its' fun."

"Later, House," he replied with a smirk, but House had already limped out of his office and down the hall.


	5. FIVE

**FIVE**

Cuddy was back in her office sorting through a pile of patient's files. House was bound to be getting bored and annoying the entire hospital staff by now, so she was determined to find a case for him. There was nothing extremely interesting, so she just grabbed the file for a man with fever and shortness of breath. It was probably just a simple infection, but she had to give him _something_ to do. She got out of her chair, reviewing the file as she walked to the door. Without looking up from the file, she reached out to push her door open. She jumped back when all she hit was the body of someone walking into her office.

"I know it's hard, but try and keep your hands off of me, woman. We're in public," he stated in his usual mocking tone. She just glared at him and slammed the file against his chest.

"I found you a case."

"I can't take it."

"Why not?"

"I have a patient already."

"Your patient has been out of surgery for a day and has been stable since. I know you'd love to hang around by his bedside and make sure all is perfect with him, but I found you another case."

"I told you I can't take it," he said simply, holding the folder out towards her. She put her hands on her hip, refusing to take it back. She stared at him, waiting to hear what was wrong with the patient whose folder he hadn't even opened. "The girl who got out of surgery two days ago; I'm taking that case."

"You mean the girl that broke her leg playing soccer?"

"Yeah."

"She's fine, House. She just needs to stay here until the drugs from the surgery are out of her system."

"She's hot," he replied, as if it explained everything. Cuddy just stepped closer and let out a disbelieving laugh.

"You're a pig," she replied, pushing the file back against his chest. "And you're taking this case."

"I can't. This soccer player is my new case. She's really hot," he replied. "38.7, to be exact."

Cuddy let out a laugh as he realized that he was talking about her fever. She looked back up at him and couldn't help but laugh again when she saw the puppy dog look on his face as he leaned towards her. She knew that she wouldn't win this battle, but was determined to make him lose somehow. A moment passed, and she suddenly realized how close they were standing. The same feelings from the bathroom earlier on came flooding back and she couldn't pull away. In fact, she seemed to be getting even closer, and her heart was pounding so loud that she thought he must be able to hear it. _Or maybe it was his heart,_ she thought, as she realized her hand was still holding the file against his chest. But she didn't drop it.

Suddenly the phone started ringing and they both let out a breath and looked at it.

"I should get that," Cuddy said quietly, scared that her voice would betray her emotions. She turned around and headed back to her desk. She reached out to get the phone, but House's cane slammed down on it before she could pick it up.

"House, move," she said sternly. He just raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for a deal. She sighed and placed the file back in her pile. "Fine. You can have the soccer girl. Now get out!"

He moved his cane and took a few steps back, only to sit himself in the couch by her desk. She glared at him as she picked up the phone.

_"Hello?"_

_"Oh! Mr-"_

_"Right, sorry. Ethan. It's good to hear from you,"_ she replied, looking up at House and waving her hand at him to get him out of her office. He just leaned back and swung his legs up on the couch with a shrug.

_"__Mhmm__."_

_"That would be great, Ethan. I'll see you tomorrow night."_

_"Goodbye,"_ she replied, glaring back at House as she hung up the phone. The amused look on his face made her furious and she picked up a pen from her desk and threw at him.

"Whoa, you're angry," he replied after catching the pen. "If you really don't like him, don't go out with him."

"I'm not _going out _with him. And it's _you _that I don't like, House!"

"Nah. That's just what you tell yourself when you're really mad," he said as he got up and walked back to her desk. He leaned across it and grabbed her hand; sending goose shivers through her entire body. Sooner than she wanted to admit she liked, his warm touch was replaced by the cold pen.

"Thought you might want that back," he said with a smirk and before she could think of a witty remark, he was gone. She let out a frustrated sigh and threw the pen at the door he just exited, cringing at the loud bang it made as it hit the glass.


	6. SIX

**SIX**

The next night had finally arrived, and Cuddy sat in her bedroom trying to decide what to wear. She really wasn't sure if this night was a _date_ or just a formal business meeting. After pulling out multiple outfits, she eventually decided on a simple black dress with heels. She had just finished putting her pearl necklace around her neck when she heard the doorbell. She grabbed her purse and headed out to greet her... date?

"Lisa, you look amazing," Ethan said as she opened the door, scanning her up and down.

"Thank you," she replied with a gorgeous smile. "You look nice, too." He smiled at her with that perfect smile and guided her out to his car. After a few minutes of small talk in his car, he pulled into the parking lot of a bar she had been to a few times with some friends. Opening the doors for her on the way in, he led her to a small table not too far from the dance floor.

"What do you like to drink?" he asked as he waved down the bartender.

"A gin and tonic would be nice."

"Alright," he replied and then turned his gaze to the bartender. "Two gin and tonics, please," he said to the girl, who blushed when he smiled at her. Cuddy couldn't help but laugh to herself when she saw this.

"So... I guess we should start talking boring hospital business, then?" Cuddy asked as their drinks came.

"There's no business to talk about," he replied with a shrug.

"What do you mean?"

"I already sent the cheque to the hospital this afternoon. It's all been dealt with," he said casually. Cuddy just looked at him curiously, wondering what she was doing here then.

"Then why are we here?"

"You looked like you could use a nice night out," he replied. Cuddy smiled at him, thankful for his thoughtfulness, but that smile quickly disappeared as she felt his knee brush her thigh and she remembered her conversation with House earlier. She gulped the rest of her drink down and looked back up at him nervously, unsure of what to say.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence. Cuddy just nodded and took his hand as he offered it, following him out to the dance floor. Once they reached the dance floor, he pulled her against him much closer than she would have liked. She tried to gently push him away, but his hands, pulling her hips even closer to his, were much too strong for her. She eventually just gave in, realizing that it was probably better than spending the rest of the night alone in her empty house. A couple of songs had passed before Cuddy heard a familiar voice speaking to Ethan.

"Do you mind if I steal her for a dance?" he asked, with mocking politeness. Ethan, being the gentleman he is, agreed kindly and walked back to their table for another drink. House smirked at Cuddy, leaned his cane against the bar, and walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked through her teeth, clearly furious with him.

"Just came to have a few drinks," he shrugged, taking her hand in his and placing his other hand on the small of her back. The anger she was feeling quickly disappeared at his touch, replaced with a mix of emotions she couldn't explain. The gentleness with which he held her both shocked her and relaxed her after the force with which Ethan held her. Despite the million butterflies in her stomach that she couldn't ignore, she felt herself leaning into him as they danced. She was close enough that she could feel his heart beat rapidly in time with her own and they moved in perfect synch with each other. She knew it was wrong, but at the moment, nothing had ever felt so right. The sudden realization of the intimacy between them made her tense and she felt like she had to say something to return things to the way they had always been.

"You don't move too bad for a cripple," she joked, pulling back a bit to look at him.

"I hear that in bed all the time." Cuddy just laughed nervously, unsure of why she was suddenly wishing she could see if that was true.

"That's probably just part of their job description."

"Are you kidding? Sometimes _they_ pay _me,_" he replied. "By the way, don't you think that dress is a little too distracting for a _business meeting_?"

"Is that why you're here?" she replied, feeling the anger rise up in her again. "To see if this is a date or not?"

"Is it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Nope. Just curious," he shrugged. "But he is looking pretty jealous right now, so I'm going to assume it is."

"You're a jerk," Cuddy said, pulling away from him, suddenly missing the warmth of his body against hers. "And you really have to stop stalking me whenever I have a date, House. It's a little obsessive, don't you think?" She walked away from him quickly, stopping only briefly to pass him his cane from the bar

"Are you ready to get out of here?" she asked Ethan with a smile, as she picked up her purse. He nodded and placed his arm around her waist as they walked to the door. Cuddy turned over her shoulder and glared at House, feeling a little bit guilty as she saw the hint of regret and sadness in his eyes.


	7. SEVEN

**SEVEN**

A few hours later, Cuddy lay in her bed, still wide awake. She rolled over for the hundredth time to face the back of the man who was really still a stranger to her. She listened to his steady breathing for a while, wishing she could sleep like that for once. She had let Ethan into her house unable to bear the thought of spending yet another night alone, sleepless, in her bed. Yet, here she lay, wide awake, regretting ever agreeing to this night out with Ethan in the first place. Her thoughts continually went back to the minutes she spent with House on the dance floor. She hadn't felt that relaxed and content in a long time. It made her feel alive and whole; a feeling that Ethan could never give her.

A pounding that sounded a lot like a knock on her door made her snap out of her thoughts. She looked at the clock beside her bed. _4:00 am._ She only knew one person that would come to annoy her at such a ridiculous hour. She dragged herself out of bed, threw a robe over her bare skin, and made her way downstairs to get the door.

"Why are you here?"

"Funny," he replied looking back out to her driveway. "I was going to ask the man whose car is in your driveway at four in the morning the same thing. I didn't know business meetings usually went that late."

"It's none of your business, House."

"It actually is. I don't want a cranky boss tomorrow because she was too busy doing the donor all night long."

Cuddy just stared daggers at him, waiting for a better excuse.

"Wanted to make sure he didn't tie you to a chair or something while he stole all your jewellery so that he can actually pay for those cancer kids."

"I'm fine."

"Well, I realize he didn't steal any of your precious bling, but judging by the fact that you're still up at four in the morning, I'm assuming you're not _fine."_

"I'm _fine!_" she practically yelled. "Now go home!" She slammed the door before he could say anything more and she leaned her back against the door with a huge sigh. A tear rolled down her cheek and before she knew it she was turning around to open the door, knowing that he wouldn't be there, but hoping, deep down inside, that he would be.

She pulled open the door slowly, and her heart stopped when she found those blue eyes that she had come to know so well staring right back at her. She wanted to say something, but even if she had known what to say, it would have been impossible to speak them. She couldn't talk; couldn't even breathe. House took a slow step towards her, never breaking eye contact. She placed her hands on his chest, unsure if it was just in case she needed to push him away or if it was simply the need to touch him. Before she had time to decide which one it was, his lips were on hers. The touch was so soft and hesitant at first, but it was enough to send shivers through her entire body. She moved her hands to the back of his neck and pulled him against her at the same moment he dropped his cane and let one hand brush through her hair, the other one on her back, holding her against him. The passion with which he kissed her was more than enough to make her head spin and it was too much for her to handle; she wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes of right then and there in the doorway to her house. She pulled away for a moment and looked up at him, the lust and hunger in his blue eyes mirroring her own.

"House," she said, her voice breathless and shaky. She didn't know what was happening, but she didn't want to stop and think about it. All she wanted was _him_.

"I know," he replied, somehow answering the million thoughts running through her head that she couldn't even process herself. He held her gaze with an intensity that spoke a million words. She leaned back into him and pressed her lips to his, their warm breaths mingling as their tongues explore each other's mouths.

A loud creak from upstairs quickly brought her back to reality and she let out a sigh as she leaned her forehead against her chest. She wished she could stay like this forever, but she knew that Ethan was now awake and she would have to face him eventually.

"Do you want me to go?" House asked, resting his chin on her hair. She nodded slowly against his chest, but nonetheless pulled him even closer. "You need to talk to him."

"I don't know what to tell him."

"Tell him he was awful in bed. That will usually keep them away," House joked. "Something like 'even a cripple could have done better than that,' would probably do the trick."

She hit him playfully on the arm and pulled away from him with a laugh. "You'll never change will you?"

"Nope. Never," he replied with a smirk. "But admit it, you like me this way."

"Actually, I hate you 99 of the time, House."

"Well, that's less than most people."

"I know," she replied, kissing him lightly before heading up the stairs. "Now, get out of here."


	8. EIGHT

**EIGHT**

Cuddy opened the door to her bedroom as slowly as she could, still not sure what she would do when she got in there. Ethan was waiting for her, sitting on the edge of the bed in his boxers and staring at the door. She gave him a weak smile and sat down next to him.

"Was someone here? I heard you talking to someone."

"Yeah. One of the doctors needed a consult on a patient," she lied.

"At four in the morning? He must have some nerve."

"Yeah, he does," she replied, giving a nervous laugh

"Well, I guess we should try and get back to sleep," Ethan said, moving closer to Cuddy. "We don't have to be up for a couple more hours." He gave her that perfect, white smile and leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away quickly and looked at the floor in front of her. A few moments of silence passed before Cuddy finally spoke.

"I think you should go," she said, looking back up to meet his eyes.

"It's 4:30 in the morning," he replied, placing a hand on her leg. "Is something wrong?"

Cuddy looked away from him and began to study her hands. She hated doing this to people; she had to think of the nicest way to say it.

"This isn't fair to you," she started slowly. "Whatever it is that you want from me, I won't be able to give it to you. The hospital will always come in the way. I mean, here we are. It's 4:30 and we're interrupted by hospital business. You don't deserve that."

"Lisa," he said slowly, dragging out her name longer as if it would somehow allow him to stay longer. He put his arm around her shoulder before she could pull away and pulled her against him. "Thank you for the warning, but I'm willing to work through that. I mean, I know we just met, but I definitely feel like this could be something special."

Cuddy bit her tongue to keep from laughing at how cliché his words sounded. This was going to be harder than she thought. After shooting down every idea she had about what to say to him next, she decided to use House's advice.

"You won't be able to make me happy," she started, hoping he would get the idea this time. She looked at him carefully and he just stared back, waiting for a better explanation. "Sexually, I mean." Finally, his eyebrows shot up and it was his turn to look down at his hands, clearly embarrassed.

"I get it," he said, pulling away from her with a small sigh. He stood up slowly and began to pull on his clothes. When he was finally dressed and he held his coat in his hand, he leaned forward and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Thank you, Lisa," he said, looking her right in the eye. She looked back at him in confusion. "For being honest with me." She just nodded with a small smile. House had been so right about that advice; it was difficult to keep the laughter in as she watched Ethan walk out of her bedroom.

She felt a wave of relief as she heard the door close behind him and his car start up. She climbed back under her blankets, hoping to finally get some sleep. Thoughts of House and the dance and the kiss kept creeping into her mind though, and she knew she wasn't getting any sleep. _Damn him_, she thought to herself as she tossed and turned in her bed once again. HouseH


	9. NINE

HouseH

**NINE**

"Where's House?" Cameron asked, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"He's always late," Foreman replied bluntly.

"Not _this _late."

"Maybe we should just start coming up with some diagnosis for the patient," Chase suggested.

"There is _nothing_ wrong with the patient," Foreman said, clearly annoyed.

"He's right," Cameron sighed. "House is clearly just looking for something to pass the time and annoy Cuddy with."

"Oh, I have much more to annoy Cuddy with than taking a patient that actually _is_ sick."

They all turned when they heard the familiar voice enter the conference room. House just strode into the room, strangely graceful for a man with a cane.

"A fever of 102 and muscle aches," House said as he took out his pen and began to write the symptoms on the white board.

"House, those symptoms are normal for someone who is coming out of surgery. There is nothing wrong with her."

"They are normal for someone the first day after surgery. It's been three days and there has been no change, so there must be an underlying cause."

"Could be an allergy to something in the hospital," Cameron suggested.

"Go do an allergy test and a good history to see if she's ever had these symptoms before," he stated and waved the three of them away with his cane. Soon after they had left, House went down the hall towards Cuddy's office. He strode into her office and found her sitting on the couch reading a file. She didn't look up when he came in and tensed slightly when he sat down next to her.

"You were two hours late today, House," she said coldly, still not looking up at him.

"I had a late night," he replied simply, causing her to look up finally and glare at him. "Looks like someone is in a bad mood today. I don't even get a good morning kiss?"

"It's the afternoon, House," Cuddy replied, looking back down. She didn't want to look into his eyes anymore; she didn't want him to see how much that kiss had affected her. Just thinking about it again made her cheeks flush and she quickly stood up to walk back over to her desk. Before she could even take a step she felt House grab her wrist and she turned around to see him standing right in front of her. He kissed her lightly and then put his lips against her ear.

"Good morning," he whispered with a smirk before pulling away and leaving her office. Cuddy just stood there, sure that if she tried to move her legs would give out on her.

"It's the afternoon," she said, looking at the door as he closed behind him, wishing she could just hate him like everyone else. But she couldn't; couldn't even pretend to.


End file.
